Lies, Spies, and Organizational Ties
by Wynterasiuuki
Summary: Even the best make mistakes. When Sombra angers the wrong people, both good and evil are hunting her down. A global fugitive, Sombra attempts to sever her ties but to no avail. Will she successfully make things right with her hunters, or will she die trying?
1. Fleeing shadows

**AUTHOR NOTE: Hi guys! Wynter here! I just wanted to say that this is the very first story I've written and published for fun, so try to take it easy on me. This is the "hook" chapter, meaning we'll get here sooner or later in my story. I'll try my best to post every week! You just reading this makes me SUPER happy! Please leave a review, and enjoy!**

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Thunder cracked in the sky as rain poured down in droves. It was a quiet night in the city of Kings Row, with most people off the streets and indoors. However, nobody suspected the lone hacker fleeing down the alleyways as fast as her bloodied legs could carry her.

She turned a corner, bending over as she panted heavily. Her torn magenta clothing revealed scraped and bruised appendages which oozed with blood. Attempting to bring up her implanted computer system yielded nothing but a handful of purple sparks. Thudding footsteps echoed down the street, followed by a gruff "Sombra's over here! Let's _go!_ "

Sombra cried out as she stumbled, continuing her flight. She vaguely recalled working with Talon a few weeks back. It was the good life, sitting in her chair, drawing funds from bank accounts and chatting with friends. _Genuine_ friends, nothing like the puppets she had given the same title. The dream disappeared from her mind as the terrified _thudthudthud_ of her heart mingled with the splashing of her boots in the muddy puddles.

A projectile of some sort whizzed by her matted, soggy hair, quickly followed by the sound of a gunshot.

"Sombra! We can make amends, but only if you come with us _willingly!_ Just stop."

She dove into another alley, not caring where she would go, as long as she could escape unharmed to one of her safehouses scattered across the continent. However, her carelessness caught up with her as she approached a dead end with the top of the wall about fifteen up in the air. The hacker checked her belt, most of her translocators refusing to respond to her touch. Despite this, one of the devices glowed faintly as she waved her clawed hand in front of it. She gripped the illuminated translocator, programmed it for a five second countdown, and chucked it over the wall. As the world faded into pixelated magenta, she watched Soldier:76 and Ana halt in front of her, turning around with a glare and a hiss.

As a dark avenue appeared from the suffocating violet, so did two _very_ familiar figures. Sombra could only let out a choked whimper as she stared at Talon's best trained assassins: Reaper and Widowmaker.

"Hello, _Sombra_." The living ghost spat the word as though it had been poisoned.

"Reaper. _Por favor,_ let me _go,"_ the hacker begged, her sarcastic, playful personality long since shattered. "I haven't hurt you. Nor have I sabotaged _la araña. Por favor_ Gabriel, _por favor…_ " Sombra couldn't hold it back; her fatigue got the best of her as she knelt down and wept silently. Her bloodied, chipped machine pistol joined her on the rough concrete, which did nothing to ease the burning wounds and exhaustion ingrained throughout her body.

The black smoke approached her as she crouched in her weak moment. "You may have not hurt me, but you nearly brought Talon to the ground. And you will _pay_ for that, whether it's from me or the director." He raised his shotgun to her barely functional legs. "First, we need to make sure you don't try anything _funny_ and attempt escape. _Adios,_ Som—" Any other words he would've said were interrupted by a ferocious growl. A deep purple dart stuck out of his arm, which fell harmlessly to the ground as Reaper disappeared in black mist.

Ana stood in the end of the alleyway, biotic rifle still smoking. Soldier:76 accompanied her, deep furrows nestled in his brow. Widowmaker grinned.

"You were once a legend, but what are you now? Just a shell of a woman…" Widowmaker sneered. She cocked her rifle into sniper position, and raised the scope to her face. "Let me finish what I started, and I'll take that other eye of yours. I doubt you'll need it, since you can barely see anything nowadays."

"I take it you don't want my autograph then. A real pity. And this time, I'm not hesitating." The senior sniper loaded a fresh dart into her gun. Soldier:76 powered on his visor, hoisting his pulse rifle off his back.

"Gabriel. Let us take the girl. We'll deliver proper justice, not mindless murder. We take her, and both of you remain unscathed. Shall we leave it at that?" The rough, muffled voice echoed powerfully through the tight passageway.

"Nice try, Jack. Ever the Boy Scout, trying to do _justice_ ," Reaper spat, grabbing an extra shotgun from his coat. "Sombra nearly brought us to the ground. She needs to pay for that, not at my hands, but the director's. He will decide whether she lives in pain or dies in pain."

Soldier:76 sighed, shaking his head. Reaper could never fall on peace. "She hurt us too, Gabriel. Maybe for the first time Talon and Overwatch can agree on something. We could decide on her punishment together, and find something that suits both of us that's within the law. However, if we need to implement _force_ to obtain our prisoner, then Ana and I will not hesitate to do so. You have been warned." He fired a shot into the air to prove his point.

A hiss of discontent emanated from the living ghost and the spider.

"Apparently we _can_ agree on something, Jack. Winner gets the prisoner." He raised his shotgun towards Soldier:76 and fired, the old soldier quickly dodging the flurry of shrapnel.

"I guess that's what I get for trying to negotiate with a terrorist," Jack muttered. Using his Tactical Visor, he was able to fire shots while avoiding Reaper's. Ana, on the other hand, was caught in a sniping duel with Widowmaker. While her darts may not be lethal by themselves, they would cause pain and violent nausea to those who were unfortunate enough to be stung by one. A bullet nicked Ana's shoulder, who responded by diving underneath a cargo box with a growl and administering one of her own healing darts. She cocked and threw a Biotic grenade towards where Widowmaker was stationed, who quickly responded with a pained roar.

By now, both men had bullets sticking out of various spots in their armor, with Reaper having more than Soldier:76. Since Jack was able to keep a distance from Reaper's shotguns, he had the range advantage. Reaper howled as a bullet penetrated his bulletproof vest, and turned towards Widowmaker. "Widow, we've lost this one. Let's get out of this dump before we become Swiss cheese."

Widowmaker responded with a groan and grappled her way over the wall, while Gabriel opted to Shadow-Step, roaring a final warning. "This _isn't over yet_ , Morrison! We'll get her back and punish her for what she's done to us!" And as the final wisp of smoke disappeared over the wall, they were gone. Thunder cracked ominously overhead.

As Ana and Soldier:76 reunited, they quickly scanned over the premises. Sombra wasn't hard to find, considering her magenta tech flickered faintly from the cargo box she had been hiding under during the battle. The hacker shook, blood and tears smeared over what had once been perfect makeup.

" _H-hola,_ guys. What can I-I help you with?" Sombra trembled, afraid of what her future would hold. She remembered this feeling from when she had bent over her parents' lifeless bodies long ago in Dorado. The feeling was nothing short of sheer terror and regret.

Ana's tough façade faltered for a moment, showing what appeared to be sympathy or pity. However, the break didn't last long, matching the stern glare the hacker was receiving from Morrison as well. " _Now,_ are you going to be nice and come with us, or are you going to try and run again?" The sniper pulled a small pistol from the inside of her coat. She exchanged a glance with Soldier:76, the soldier nodding in response. Ana raised the sidearm towards the hacker, who quickly turned pale.

As the sniper's finger tightened around the trigger, Sombra's thoughts began to whirl wildly inside of her head. One thought seemed to overpower her mind's desperate plotting of escape: _Mierda, is she going to kill me right now?_

The gun fired with a loud _pthchk_ , unlike the bang of most pistols. Immediately, Sombra felt a sharp sting on the side of her neck, and instinctively raised her hand. She wrapped her fingers around a dart, and ripped it out of her numbing flesh. The hacker blanched as she saw her vision begin to blur. She tried standing up, only to find she had no energy to do so. Her legs failed her halfway up, and she collapsed against the concrete. All sounds around her echoed, and she could feel her body beginning to shut down. Again and again, she willed her muscles to move, to _do something_ , only to find a gloved hand pressing her gently against the floor.

"Don't fight the sedative. You'll get a fair trial, there's no need to worry about your well-being while you're out." Sombra swore she could hear nearly motherly concern in Ana's voice as she shushed her.

As the world faded into nothing, the hacker felt a strong pair of arms hoist her off the cold, hard ground. She could only hope her future wouldn't hold too much pain in the cold cell awaiting her as Sombra passed into sweet unconsciousness.

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 **And that's a wrap for Chapter 1! Sorry, I know it's not very long, I'll try to make the next chapters twice as big if I can. If you have the time, I would greatly appreciate if you would leave your suggestions, questions, or ideas for the next chapter as a review, and I'll try to get back with you as soon as possible! Thanks for reading this! Wynter out!**


	2. New Mission

**Author's note: And here we are with Chapter 2! Thanks to everyone reading this for your support, every viewer is noticed! You don't know how much a review does for me, each one makes my day! Without further ado, the second chapter!**

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A cold cell. Steel bars blocking her vision. The leaders of Overwatch looking down on her bruised body, deciding whether to kill her or not. A rifle buried in her violet hair. The click of a trigger being pushed back—

And a familiar ceiling littered with posters and her signature logo. The girl writhed around, finding her movements restricted by icy sheets, not handcuffs.

 _Dios mio, it was that dream again. Why do I keep having it? It scares the hell out of me every time…_

Not necessarily caring what time of night it was, Sombra rolled out of her bed and grabbed a steaming-hot mug of coffee. According to her, the only proper way to wake up was to burn your taste buds off with a boiling cup of caffeine. Sitting down in front of her massive computer system, the hacker booted up her computer only to find an encrypted message addressed to her.

 **Sombra**

 **Report to the main base as soon as possible. The council has a mission for you, be ready to accept it. We have sent a private jet for you at the Dorado International Airport, which you will meet at 0600 hours sharp in two days.** _ **Do not be late.**_ **Further instructions will be sent at your arrival.**

 **Reaper**

 **One day, 6 hours, 24 minutes remaining until flight**

A soft groan emanated from Sombra's throat. The timer underneath the simple message was obviously added to counter her uncaring attitude. Switching topics, the hacker glanced at her glowing monitor system, smirking at what remained of LumeriCo's measly defenses. After summoning a few bumbling fools from around the world, she had used them to assist her in hacking into LumeriCo President Guillermo Portero's email. Afterwards, she sent her helper monkeys a simple thank-you and proceeded to publicly humiliate the CEO. After the rioting that ensued, Guillermo resigned from his position… permanently.

But without LumeriCo to destroy, and nothing of importance to hack into, what could she do?

A few minutes of brainstorming later, Sombra emerged from her closet. She was dressed in a violet T-shirt, and wore denim shorts that fell around her knees. Her mane of hair had been tied back in a ponytail, keeping it out of her face. A pair of reflective rhinestone-studded sunglasses topped off the look. She looked very different than the malicious hacker that resided in this very home, unbeknownst by her neighbors.

Her favorite place to visit was only a block or two away from her apartment. As she walked in, a familiar scent of baking _pan dulce_ and sweets filled her lungs as a ringing bell announced her arrival. A content sigh escaped her as a plump woman glimpsed over the counter. She scanned over the bakery, and spoke only when she felt the area was secure.

"Ah, Sombra, is that you? It's been so long, I thought you had forgotten about me! What can I get you today?"

" _Lo siento_ Isabella, I've had too many projects to be working on. Despite this, I _always_ have time for some freshly-baked sweets." A sheepish grin made its way onto her painted lips.

"Well, if that's the case, then I'm just the person to talk to. I take it you'll have your normal?"

"You know me too well. How much will it be today?" The hacker reached for her credit chip, which was wired to someone else's account. It was her way of life, sapping resources from those who were successful. Sombra couldn't remember when she had last spent her _own_ money.

Isabella shook her head, reaching for the glass case filled with pastries and breads of all shape and form. "We go through this every time. You don't need to pay me after all that you've done for me and my daughter. If I remember correctly, you're the one who lured the rebels away when they were rioting, and you've protected Alejandra from thugs on the street so many times..." Her eyes grew a little misty. "I could never ask anything from the shadow that's saved us—"

The credit chip founds its way into the reader anyways.

"It's the least I can do to support you. You've done a lot for me too, you know. I guess it's a mutual relationship between us; we always watch each other's backs. You've been a good friend to me every time I visit, and I'd like to try and return the favor." There wasn't any kind of malice in the hacker's eyes. They reflected nothing but pools of purple sincerity.

The sincerity was returned in the other woman's smile.

"Thank you…I still don't know how I'm supposed to repay you for your kindness other than supply you with _conchas_ and tea…" Isabella's eyes flickered with determination. "But I'll try anyways. Thank you for always being so good to us, Sombra." She handed over the plate of pastries and the cardboard cup of black tea.

The hacker sat down at one of the tables as Isabella scurried off to her kitchen. Crumbs littered Sombra's face as she brought up her personal computer system, checking for anything abnormal.

 _Let's see, Los Muertos wants me to join in a riot against the Mexican government, Talon has the "mystery mission" for me, Katya Volskaya sent her best soldier out to kill me—wait, what?_

The tea was set down with a _clap_ as she enlarged the message sent from one of her friends working at Talon. It was a rather crude holo-poster with her face roughly sketched onto it. Underneath of her horrid drawing, it read:

 **REWARD**

 **Unknown Talon operative**

 **Wanted for blackmail, espionage, and illegal hacking**

 **Call Aleksandra Zaryanova if you have any tips**

 **REWARD**

A frown crossed the hacker's face. Apparently her "friend" wasn't in the mood to play nice. In that case, she wouldn't either. She considered sending a warning email of some kind to let Katya know, but decided against it.

 _If her precious Zarya thinks she's clever enough to face me, she's in for a rough surprise. It won't be that hard to just carry a backup of some sort in case I get cornered. I'll show Katya her number one soldier is nothing more than a fly caught in my web._

And with that, Sombra decided to pay attention to something that was more deserving of her interest. Absentmindedly reaching for her sweets as she read the latest _Atlas News,_ she frowned as her fingers clasped around nothing but a handful of sugary crumbs. Her mug of tea proved to be just as empty as her plate. A sad sigh escaped her, as she stood gathering her things. For good measure, she left a few _pesos_ on the table as she left her favorite bakery.

After arriving back to her apartment, Sombra donned her favorite hacker-jacket and sat down in front of her enormous console. She cracked her knuckles and opened her files containing the various images and contacts she had created to mess with anyone on her trail. A few months ago, a _very large_ group of people became dedicated to hunting her down and identifying her. Over time, she began to rather enjoy messing around with their frenzied minds, and left virtual puzzle pieces for her "fans" to try and fit together. They had even tried contacting her a few weeks ago—of course, in a rather primitive way—by storing the message inside the source code of an altered image file.

Apparently they thought they had found something important, dubbed the "Skycode". Of course, it was nothing more than a red herring while she prepared the next clue. Sombra enjoyed toying with people, but she never knew something as simple as this could be _this fun._ So she kept at it, and had prepared another one of her famous encrypted violet skulls for them to decode.

The hacker was in the middle of preparing a fake phone number when her center monitor let out a musical _ding_ to alert Sombra of an incoming message. As she brought it up, an eerily familiar masked face engulfed the screen.

" _Hola,_ Gabe. _¿Qué tal?_ "

"Sombra _. I need to remind you of your flight tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM_. Sharp _._ _That means you're through security and_ ready to fly _at 6:00,_ _ **not**_ _getting out of bed at 6:00._ " The hacker had worked for Talon for years, and still hadn't accustomed to Reaper's voice, which sounded like crunching glass.

"No problem, Gabe. Your timer will work just fine, and I'm smart enough to know I shouldn't miss this flight. The last thing I want is not just you, but the _entire council_ angry at me." She shivered at the thought. "Which flight will it be? I know I can't expect a jet with the Talon insignia on it."

" _You'll be jet W23. It will be a 18-hour flight, so be prepared for a long trip. There will be no need to bring any kind of luggage other than anything you absolutely require, such as your machine pistol or translocators. I trust you'll get such items through airport security properly?"_ The gravelly voice rasped through the speakers, sending chills down Sombra's augmented spine. Her reoccurring nightmare came to mind, but she dispelled the thought in order to retain her composure.

"Of course, Reapy. Who do you think I am? You don't think the world's #1 hacker can get through a little airport security? _Dios mio_ , what do you take me for? I'll get through just fine, at 6:00 AM as promised. Will there be anyone else on the flight with me?" The hacker held her breath, hoping for a solid _no_. She preferred her flights sent by Talon to be by themselves, being able to enjoy the peace and quiet of solitude.

" _Not this time. Don't get too happy, you're going to have a lot of work to do at HQ. You need to rest up to be able to handle your mission. I'll see you there, Sombra. Reaper out."_

And as the message faded off into violet pixels, Sombra was left with her mind spinning with theories of what her mission would be. The phone number was temporarily abandoned, replaced by a slowly-moving progress bar to keep her fans busy for a week or so.

The hacker approached her conspiracy web, with everything connected by the mysterious organization. While she played a significant part in the map herself, she had yet to find out what this group was. Running searches of the logo resulted in nothing. Not just scattered sites unrelated to the issue, no. _Nothing_. She had spent countless nights hacking into large corporations, hoping to find something related to "The Eye", but to no avail.

 _How can you run the world if you don't exist?_

Turning away with a huff, the hacker grabbed a suitcase from her extensive closet and began to pack for the trip. Trying to pack "only essentials" was like taking her whole apartment with her. Her signature jacket, most of her translocators, charging cables and an emergency kit for her augmentations, repair tools for mechanics, her machine pistol, bullets… The list went on and on. It was late into the night when she finally got her suitcase to close and latch. With an exhausted sigh, the hacker set a timer for 5:00 AM, and falling asleep as soon as her arms curled around her special teddy bear.

* * *

 _ **Beep. Beep. Beep. Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep—**_ _thud._

With a long, dead-to-the-world groan, the almighty Sombra was awake. A few minutes later, the hacker was haphazardly dressed, black coffee in hand, black bags underneath eyes. Everything, including the teddy bear, was packed. Coffee was made. She was still on time. She had the tickets in her hand. The biggest obstacle:

Airport security.

Sombra may be the world's most advanced hacker, but it's not necessarily easy to hack things in front of _a ton of people._ There were the two X-rays to deal with, and she had to make sure she didn't mess up in front of the guards, or she was _never_ getting on that flight.

But she had to try.

After arriving at the Dorado International Airport via a hacked omnic-driven taxi, Sombra grabbed her single magenta suitcase and anxiously rolled her way over to security. She stopped in front of her first security gate: Identification. This bit would be easy.

A burly, stereotypical-looking guard stared her down as she handed him her ticket. "Name and license?"

She handed him a forged driver's license and looked at him innocently as she could. "Sandra Mariana Palm, here for flight W23 leaving at 6:00."

He looked over her, then scanned her license under the desk he was working at. Eyeing her suspiciously, he handed her tickets and driver's permit back. "Well, have a nice flight, Sandra. Please proceed to the X-rays in line three."

Her smile didn't exactly reach her eyes as she responded with a simple, "Thanks, have a nice day~". The line in front of her was moving alarmingly fast as she tried to go over her plans. Bucketing her shoes with a gulp, she lightly brushed her painted fingernails over the luggage X-ray, discreetly entering a few commands with her cybernetics. A magenta hue washed over the machinery's monitors, vanishing after a few seconds. The guards foolishly shrugged it off, believing it to be a simple error of sorts.

Then there was the last stage: the body scanner. The guards would become unbelievably suspicious if she touched the scanner, so the hacker just decided to roll the dice.

 _I put my pistol and translocators in my luggage…right?_ Dios mio _, I hope so… If there is a god out there, hear my cry: don't let anything bad happen. Please._

Taking a deep, hopeful breath, Sombra walked through the gate. She relaxed a bit when an alarm didn't go off immediately, until an armed man approached her with an icy stare.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to step aside. Are you carrying anything metal on you?" He began to wave a metal detector over her torso, which began to beep angrily near her belt.

Dios mio, _please don't be what I think that is—_

He pulled a pair of key cards off her jean loops. The guard sighed for a second, and then returned them to the deathly pale girl.

"Sorry, miss. Make sure to completely empty you belt and pockets next time you fly. Don't forget your luggage, and have a nice flight."

" _Lo siento,_ I'll make sure to double-check next time."

After grabbing her suitcase from the hacked X-ray, she hurried off to Gate W for her flight. A relieved sigh escaped her lips as she approached her flight's waiting area just as her watch beeped a perfect 5:55. She handed the attendant her ticket who responded with a simple, "Enjoy your flight!".

Getting on the plane, she sat in one of the plush seats. Considering Sombra was one of Talon's most valuable assets, they had paid for a _very_ nice carrier for her to ride in. Feeling the plane begin to taxi its way to the runway, she began to watch one of the movies she had brought, _Some like it Bot_. Of course, the movie had existed for a little over a year now, but it was good enough for her to watch again. Time flew by, and within a handful of hours the almighty hacker had become deathly bored. She checked her watch for the umpteenth time, and sighed happily when an automated call from the pilot signaled their decent.

Touching down, she gazed at the massive facility to the side of the plane. It was the size of a small town, with watchtowers and huge buildings littering the bare ground. Soldiers and redesigned MEKAs dotted the landscape, all armed with intimidatingly large weapons. As the bridge connected to the side of the airport, Sombra marched off with her luggage only to be greeted by a familiar black-cloaked ghost.

"I see you've made it on time, Sombra. Congratulations. I'll escort you to your quarters where you'll stay until further notice."

The hacker sighed. " _Hola,_ Gabe. I need somewhere to crash, _estoy cansada._ I hope there's a coffee machine in my room, I need caffeine like I need air."

As Reaper led her to her living quarters, Sombra took in the huge facility. Each building had a single purpose to it, leaving a lot of hallways for the hacker to memorize if she was to know where she was going. It would be awkward if people saw the infamous "Shade of Los Muertos" wandering aimlessly around HQ. The living ghost snapped her out of her thoughts as the two mercenaries stopped in front of a thick steel door emblazoned with her calling card, the violet skull.

"This is your room. You'll stay in here until breakfast tomorrow morning. After the Volskaya incident, Talon doesn't exactly _trust_ you, so your door will be locked from midnight to 5:00 AM, or at the Council's discretion. And don't think that you can just hack this open and use your camouflage to sneak out, we have ways to detect you all around this base." He started to turn, but hesitated. "Use tonight to unpack and rest up. I've heard of your mission, it's not going to be easy. You'll receive a message from the Council when they're ready to see you. Breakfast is served at 5:15. I'll escort you there, so you don't get lost on the way."

 _Heh, if I didn't know any better, I'd think he actually cared about me._

As she placed her hand on the scanner, the door opened with the hiss of hydraulics. Inside was a rather comfortable suite. Apparently Talon _did_ listen to her requests for a nice room. The walls were painted a vibrant amethyst, with her insignia plastered over the satisfactory computer system and her personal coffee machine. While she took it all in, the door slid shut behind her, followed by the click of a lock activating.

 _Well then. I guess Reapy was being serious about a curfew. And apparently they're watching me, so I can't do any late-night sightseeing. A shame. I guess I'll just make use of all this free time and start unpacking…_

Sombra walked over to her extensive closet, glancing at the many outfits Talon had given her to wear as she added a few of her own. She lingered a moment as she hung her favorite jacket, brushing against the cyberized fabric. She had designed the coat herself a few years ago, allowing it to camouflage and translocate with her. It was a project of hers that had taken many weeks, and she was proud of it.

The hacker flopped on her bed unceremoniously, staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't really help but feel like a caged animal, trapped inside of her quarters. As her watch ticked endlessly, she could do nothing but worry about the mission. If Reaper said it was going to be difficult, then it _most definitely was._

 _I wonder whether this is going to be assassination mission or an infiltration mission. Either way, I can try to make some more friends along the way…I just need to be careful. The Council already has their eye on me, if I mess up now I'll be dead by morning._

Much to Sombra's irritation, sleep was long coming that night.

* * *

The first thing she heard the next morning was the click of the door unlocking. Realizing she could get out of her more-than-comfortable prison cell, she took the first chance she got to escape. She rapidly dressed in her hacker attire and fled out the door, afraid it would lock before she had a chance to leave.

Reaper stared at her as she jumped, not expecting him to be waiting outside her door. He gestured towards the hallway to her right. "The mess hall is this way. Keep in mind you're going to be mixed in with the grunts as well, so expect anything from them."

The two walked silently down the corridor until Sombra's stomach decided to start growling awkwardly. Reaper simply chuckled as the other turned a bright shade of red.

 _So much for trying to seem professional the first day here…_

Thankfully, they had arrived at the cafeteria's entrance, saving the hacker from too much embarrassment. The hacker gave a nod of thanks and walked inside, immediately greeted by a torrent of loud, echoing voices. She flinched, then proceeded to walk towards the line. She picked up a tray of various breakfast foods and found a seat in the back of the mess hall, where she could revel in her solitude. However, it was not to be.

A tray propped itself down in the seat across from her with a clatter _._ She looked up, about to give this idiot a piece of her mind, but broke out in a grin when she recognized the feathery wings resting on the person's back. The girl looked down at her, face lit up with joy.

"Sombra! It's been forever since I've actually seen your face, what brought you to Talon HQ?"

"Ahh, Wynter. I know it's been a long time; I've been way too busy with the crappy missions the higher-ups assign me. Thanks for the warning about Katya Volskaya's little trooper, things have been too dull to really motivate me to go digging for that kind of information."

The winged girl shrugged as she took a bite of her scrambled egg. "No problem; it's the least I can do. I mean, we're friends, right? And that's what friends do for each other. Anything cool been going on in Mexico? I've heard LumeriCo's president has taken a major blow. Let me guess… It was you."

Sombra smirked as she munched off her tray. "You know it, _amiga._ That man needed to _go._ He was greedy and corrupt, and mooched off the poor people while he resided in gold-plated mansions," she spat. "I got Los Muertos and some anonymous people off the web, and they helped me take him down. No big deal."

Wynter set down her fork and rolled her eyes. "Only you can call taking down a multi-million dollar company 'no big deal'."

A musical ring emanated from the hacker's suit as a message box formed in front of her, displaying a dark face decorated with white war paint. "Sombra. Your presence is requested in the Council meeting room. Building fourteen, room eight. Come immediately. Doomfist out."

Wynter's jaw dropped. " _Wooaaah,_ you get private audiences with the Council? That's so cool! I hope I get that high up on the ladder someday… For now, I'm just a simple mercenary."

Sombra grabbed the remnants of her tray and stood up. "It's not _nearly_ as much fun as you think, _chica_. They're nothing but a group of hostile leaders who either call you to yell at your face or to assign you some important mission. Thankfully, they want me for the latter of those options." She deposited her tray in the trash can. "By the way, where's building fourteen?"

The girl sighed. "I guess you really haven't learned the facility yet. Down the hall to the left, out the third door on the right, take the right path. Room eight should be on the left. I know that's pretty confusing… I'd take you myself, but I have a mission in about five minutes. I'll see you later!" She waved energetically as a few mindless grunts stared.

Sombra nodded a goodbye, and took off.

 _Down the hall on the left, out the third door to the right, take the right path. Left, third right, right. Then I can see what this 'special' mission is all about._

It wasn't long until the hacker was standing in front of an enormous concrete building devoid of any windows. A mild shiver went down her spine as she opened the door, searching for door eight. Of course, the eighth door was the largest and most intimidating of every door she had seen in Talon HQ. She took a deep breath, opened the door, and stepped in.

The first red flag that went up was how _dark_ it was inside. She could barely see where she was walking, which definitely alarmed her.

"Sombra. You are in the presence of the Talon Council. Anything and everything you say will be recorded for further review if necessary. You are here to receive a private mission from us. Do you accept?" The heavy, African voice echoed strongly throughout the open space. A spotlight shined down on the man known as Doomfist, glinting off the steel spikes in his gauntlet. The pale paint striping his nose only added to his powerful composure.

 _Don't mess up. Think about everything you say before you say it. Don't mess up, don't mess up—_

"I accept. Will the details of the mission be revealed now, or sent to me in private? _"_

"Your mission is to infiltrate Overwatch's Watchpoint:Gibraltar alone. You will gather recordings and physical data from varying members of their strike teams and medical staff, and you will place cameras and bugs in strategic positions for further recordings. You will be _alone_ , with no backup or emergency extraction team whatsoever. _This does not mean you can screw around with whoever you want._ This mission is to be kept confidential. We are trusting you with something very important, Sombra. Break our trust, and things will not go well for you. Am I clear, agent?"

Sombra gulped. This was a very, _very_ fragile thing to carry. One slip-up and she could be imprisoned or killed, the latter the most likely.

 _Should I take on this much responsibility at once? This can either go very well or very bad… Dios mio, what do I do?_

* * *

 **And that's Chapter two! I'm sorry, I know it's the exposition, it's boring, etc. It's a necessary part for the plot to advance, so bear with me here. I'm also sorry for being late with this chapter; I haven't been feeling my best. And yes, I did make a few references to the infamous Sombra ARG. Anyways, I wanted to say a special thanks to Lianou and zeldaleepalutena for your extensive support, and for everyone who reviews,** _ **thank you!**_ **Every review makes me giggle like a little kid and helps me to know what my strengths are. Thank you, and see you in the next one! ~WynterAsiuuki**


	3. Trapped darkness

**Author's note: Chapter three! Yeah! I wanted to say I wouldn't have written this far if it wasn't for everyone's kind support. Thank you to everyone! This chapter took** _ **waaaay**_ **to long to write, I'll explain at the end of this. With school starting up soon, updates shouldn't become too infrequent. Here's number three!**

* * *

Talon's inner council stared at Sombra impatiently.

"Well, Agent? Do you accept or not?" The powerful voice echoed from the gauntlet-clad commander.

An audible gulp was heard from the Latina's throat before she looked Doomfist in the eye. "I accept the mission. When will I be dispatched?"

"You will be sent off as soon as possible. You are to pack enough belongings to last a few days or so. There is a city nearby the Watchpoint where you can get your food and water from. Any other details will be sent to your quarters, along with necessities for your mission. Meeting adjourned."

The hacker nodded before she turned towards the tall, intimidating doors. _Everything_ in this room was intimidating, from the seemingly endless darkness to the icy glares given to her by the Councillors. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light as she left, a leftover shiver running down her augmented spine.

 _Let's see, what do I know about Watchpoint: Gibraltar? Surely the majority of Overwatch's most important authorities reside there… I need to do some research on their security, though._

As Sombra pondered on how to infiltrate their front lines, she realized something was wrong. Very wrong.

She had no clue where she was.

Her heartbeat began to race as she spun around, trying to realize which path she had come down on. Every hall looked symmetrical, and as the stream of Talon officials and grunts pushed their way past her, she accepted the fact that she was hopelessly off track. The hacker's eyes scanned over the premises, trying to find someone she could identify—

"Don't tell me the almighty _Sombra_ is _lost!_ "

The shadow mentally cursed as she turned to face the blue-skinned assassin.

" _Hola,_ Widow. For once, you might be correct." It pained Sombra to admit that Widowmaker was right, or any other person for that matter. She preferred to be the one in charge, not the other way around. "Look, this is my first day on the campus. Do you know where the mess hall is? I'm sure I can find my way back to my quarters from there."

Widowmaker simply chuckled, a horrid sound filled with malice. "Of course. You should go down that hall, take the third right, then the second left. Turn right at the end of that hallway, then take the last left. Can you retain that simple line of information, or should I escort you?" Her French accent was dripping with venom as she gestured to an opening on Sombra's right.

The hacker clenched her teeth as she managed a curt nod. She turned towards the doorway, then paused. "How did you manage to memorize this place? I'm sure I can hack the planet before I'll know my way around."

The assassin turned the corner of her lips up in a plastic smile. "It took a few hours of studying the map that was _given to you_ in your quarters." The false friendliness vanished. "Now, are there any other arbitrary things you must ask me?"

A huff emanated from Sombra's lips as she walked off in hopes of finding the mess hall. She was tired of Widowmaker's bitter attitude towards everything. Granted, she _was_ Talon's very own heartless mercenary, but there were times the hacker wanted to wipe the sass off her face.

A few minutes of mindless wandering later, Sombra found herself staring at the cafeteria's doors. A sigh of relief escaped her painted lips as she headed down towards her suite's door, opening with a wave of her hand. She flopped onto her bed unceremoniously, only to have something crinkle under her jacket. Her hand pulled out a black envelope with her sugar skull icon imprinted on the front.

Her clawed hand slipped out a rather intimidating looking list. At the bottom of the thick paper, Doomfist's initials were signed.

 _This must be the information slip from the Council! Let's see what it has to say…_

 **For the eyes of Agent Sombra only**

 **Classified mission briefing sheet #082781**

 **Mission: Infiltrate the Overwatch base Watchpoint: Gibraltar and place bugs in strategic places to gather data from at later dates. Retrieve DNA samples from Dr. Angela Ziegler AKA Mercy, Jack Morrison AKA Soldier: 76, and Lena Oxton AKA Tracer. Finally, gain access into their main computer system and download all files to bring back to HQ for further review.**

 **No emergency extraction team will be provided, nor a partner to work with. You will be alone. You are** _ **not**_ **to deviate from the mission in any way, punishable at the Council's discretion. When all given instructions have been successfully completed, you are to meet Agent Widowmaker outside the San Felipe Pier.**

 **You are to bring solely necessary items to your mission, nothing else. Recommended items would be your machine pistol, thermoptic jacket, and a set of translocators. Sterile containers will be provided for the DNA samples.**

 **You will be dispatched via helicopter as soon as you are ready to leave.**

 **Good Luck.**

After reading it over a few times, Sombra set the sheet down with a worried sigh.

 _This…This is going to be difficult. First I have to sneak in, then I have to place mics and cameras without setting off any kind of alarms, then I have to collect DNA samples…Finally I have to download_ every file _on their system. That's going to take about twenty minutes, considering they had a terabyte or two of data the last time I hacked into them. I'll have to make sure they don't approach the computer while I download as well, or they would immediately notice the USB. I'll need to bring a few charging cables for my stealth as well…_

As the Latina packed the bare essentials, she performed some research on Watchpoint: Gibraltar's security. She accessed the camera footage from outside the gates, and looked on from there. She saw an electric fence with watchtowers posted at every corner, and noticed the infra-sight cameras positioned near the entrances. She scribbled down the location of each camera, guard rotation, and watchtower.

After Sombra was certain she knew their security system by heart, she grabbed her smallest suitcase and began packing for the second time within the week. She managed to fit her machine pistol and ammo, three charging cables, an emergency translocator repair kit, her wetsuit in case she was deployed in the ocean, and a set of casual clothing inside.

 _Let's see… I'll wear my tactical outfit and attach the USB sticks to my belt. I'll bring two translocators and the containers for the DNA samples, which shouldn't be too hard to obtain. Afterwards, the hardest part of the mission should be downloading all of Overwatch's data and escaping without a sound._

A long, readying sigh escaped her before the hacker grabbed her suitcase and shuffled out her door. Reaper was leaning against the wall outside her door, and stood at attention as Sombra dragged her baggage with her.

"Are you ready to leave?"

A rather forced smile plastered her face. "Guess so, Reapy. When and where will I be dispatched?"

"You should arrive around 8:30PM and will be dropped off about a half mile away from the base in the Bay of Gibraltar. I assume you brought your underwater gear and oxygen canisters? You're going to need them." His gravelly voice cut through the air as a PA system echoed through the open hallways.

"Of course. I checked out their security systems, and there weren't any kind of sensors in the water that could detect a person. I had a hunch you would deploy me in the bay, and apparently I was right…as usual." Her cocky demeanor spread over her once more.

"If you have all you need, it's time for you to leave. Come with me to the helipad."

The two mercenaries strode in silence down the twisting maze known as HQ while various grunts stared, a feeling Sombra detested. She was filled with relief as a pair of doors opened to find a stealthy helicopter waiting for her outside. Reaper gestured towards the passenger door as he let her off with a final warning of "Don't mess up" before he trudged off back to base.

 _Wow, I can tell he_ really _cares about my success in this mission. Then again, Reaper doesn't really care about anything._

The hacker slung her suitcase into the back seats before she stepped into the front. Her pilot, a nervous grunt who called himself Amos, gave her a nervous look before he launched the aircraft into the sky.

The flight lasted a few hours, and by the time the helicopter began to circle a spot in the bay, the stars were beginning to twinkle.

Amos cleared his throat next to her. "Okay, M-Ms. Sombra, this is where you need to jump out. Literally. You're wearing your wetsuit, right?"

Sombra nodded as she grabbed her waterproof suitcase from the back. "Yeah, of course. I need to be as stealthy as humanly possible, and leaving puddles of water from a soggy battle suit wouldn't do much to hide me."

The grunt nodded before he gestured to the open sea below her. The hacker took a deep breath, held on tight to her luggage, and leapt off the seat and into the sky. As she hit her apex, she glanced at the starlight reflecting off the foaming waves below before sliding on her goggles. The cool water surrounded her as she sliced through the Bay of Gibraltar, occasionally pausing to switch oxygen containers.

It wasn't too much longer before Sombra could see the Overwatch flag flapping in the ocean wind.

Upon realizing she had finally arrived at the illustrious Watchpoint: Gibraltar, the Talon agent emerged from the water and activated the quick-dry function of her wetsuit. She then opened her bag, snatched up her stealth jacket, and dove into the shadows with a relieved expression.

 _No alarms going off, that's good. First step: place the recording equipment. I should probably place them in the most frequented areas such as their cafeteria and conference hall._

The hacker stuffed a handful of tiny cameras and microphones into her suit's pockets before ducking around the corner. She primed and nestled a translocator into a bush before easily bypassing the weak security systems built into the door. Sombra let out a silent chuckle.

 _Hmm. If Overwatch wants people like me to keep our hands out of their little cookie jar of information, maybe they should place it on a higher shelf. These security systems could be overwritten by a child! I can't help but wonder if that means something else is in store for me, though._

After making sure Athena, the resident AI system, had been silenced, the mercenary dove through one of the side entrances—only to be met with a group of agents gathered at a table, apparently playing a game of cards. A load roar echoed from a man wearing a cowboy hat, voice dripping with a Southern drawl.

" _Aw, c'mon!_ I just barely jump'd in this game, n' you're callin' me out every chance ya get!" The cowboy grabbed his bottle of beer and took a swig before slamming it onto the table with a _thud_.

A bubbling laugh emerged from the three others in the room. A thick British accent filled the room as a certain Lena Oxton mocked, "Aw, is Jesse getting angry? Are you going to ride off into the sunset angrily, or storm into the saloon?"

A vile mixture of fear, repulsion, and hatred filled Sombra as she recognized who was in the room. Not only was she graced with the presence of _four_ high-class Overwatch agents to welcome her, but one of them had to be _Tracer._

After Sombra had done a rather sloppy job of clearing her tracks when accessing Lena's Chronal technology, the spunky pilot had learned about the hackers' existence and vowed to hunt her down. In the few times their paths had crossed, only destruction was left. Bullets, punches, and harsh words were exchanged in the battlefield. They despised each other, and that was that.

This made it _very_ difficult for Sombra to leave her machine pistol in its holster and try to continue sneaking into the main hallway.

The door shut with a mild _hiss_ behind her, and the hacker froze in place, thankful for the camouflage surrounding her at the moment. Three sober heads turned in her direction, one gleaming in silver and green metal, one lined with a silvery braid, the other topped with chestnut-colored spikes. A suspicious expression rested on each one.

The cyborg spoke up. "Athena, has anyone unusual entered the Watchpoint today?"

"No, Agent Shimada. The only person who has left or arrived within twenty-four hours would be Agent McCree."

The doubtful look didn't leave the senior sniper's face. "If anyone is there, identify yourself at once."

Silence reigned over the small room.

Ana raised two fingers to her ear, activating a comm of some kind. "Jack, I think we have an intruder in the area, but I'm not sure. Put the Watchpoint on a yellow alert until further notice." She chuckled lightly. "I might be getting too old for this. However, I know this isn't my age affecting me—Lena and Genji heard it too. Keep an eye out for yourself. Over and out."

The three right-minded agents kept their guard up, but continued their game of cards. The now scared-straight Sombra took a deep, calming breath and continued to make her way towards the conference room.

After a few moments of peeking around corners and stealthily making her way towards the official meeting room, the hacker approached a set of wide doors that mimicked that of the Council's room at Talon. She put her ear to the entry, listening for any kind of activity inside.

Not a sound was heard.

A feeling of moderate worry began to fill Sombra as she realized she hadn't come across a single agent or worker on her way through the central passageway through the base.

 _This is one of Overwatch's most renowned bases in the world! Shouldn't it be bustling with people eager to do their part, or all they all playing card games in the back rooms?_

 _Or were they expecting someone along the likes of me to infiltrate the base any time soon?_

After a short prayer to anyone who would listen was sent out, the Latina slowly pushed the doors open.

Not a single person sat at the massive conference table. A sigh of relief was gently released by the more-than-nervous agent, and she disabled her cloaking after triple-checking for security cameras or tripwires of any kinds. A clawed hand snatched a few recording devices out of her pocket, and set them in the ventilations shafts, under the table, even perched on top of the hanging lights.

A simple wave of the hand was all it took to bring up Sombra's integrated computer system. She connected to each of the gadgets, made sure each one was functioning properly, and encrypted each signal to prevent anyone from tracing the network back to her.

 _Ugh, the last thing I need is Tracer starting another manhunt for me. Or all of Overwatch, for that matter._

After making sure the conference room was completely bugged, Sombra called upon her camouflage once more and fled back to the shadows. This time, she saw other workers—a seemingly bratty girl who gripped a staff as she nagged about something, an omnic who had an Italian accent, and a few custodians.

It didn't take long to find the mess hall and bug it, since there was plenty of cover to hide behind and lots of good places to stash a camera. As the hacker slunk back to the hallway once more, she began to contemplate the next part of her mission: DNA samples from Tracer, Mercy, and Soldier: 76. It wouldn't be hard to gather a few hairs from their hairbrushes; she would just need to identify and access each of their quarters.

The invisible maiden darted to a small supply closet where she could hack without being caught. She threw off her cloaking and infiltrated into the AI's files to find an old map of the base, which she quickly downloaded to her own hard drive.

After memorizing where the trio's rooms were, Sombra sped through the base to the first room: Tracer. It was all she could do not to gag as her eyes took in the Slipstream posters, airplane models, and neon-orange sheets on the extravagant bed. On the wall rested a corkboard covered from top to bottom in sticky notes, some spinning ridiculous theories about who Sombra really was, why she stole the Chronal tech, and where she resided.

 _Aww, look at this. I have my very own fan. I should be honored someone is paying this much attention to me! If only she wasn't Tracer, worldwide symbol of "hope and peace". Ugh._

The Talon agent silently walked past the loudly snoring Lena Oxton and into her bathroom, before plucking a few hairs off the vibrantly patterned hairbrush. She sealed the sterile container and placed it in a separate pocket.

 _One down, two more to go._

As Sombra calmly exited the more-than-lively room, she swore she heard some kind of rustling emanating from the bed. She moved faster down the hall, just in case she woke the energetic girl.

It wasn't difficult to retrieve the sample from Dr. Ziegler's room, considering she had fallen asleep working across the hall in her lab. Apparently, sleeping in the lab was a common thing for her to do if Genji didn't drag her back to her room or Ana didn't sedate her. Her room was covered from floor to ceiling with research papers, vials of serums, and scattered parts of her Valkyrie Suit or her Caduceus Staff. It was a minefield of fragile things, and it had taken Sombra a solid five minutes just to maneuver around the bed without touching or wrinkling anything.

The final room belonged to the infamous Soldier: 76. He was nearly as wanted as her, apparently spending his time breaking into facilities or beating up Los Muertos around the globe. Sombra had a bone to pick with him for making her old gang suffer, but she knew this wasn't the time to be starting a one-man war.

The first thing she noticed when the door to his room opened was how _barren_ it was. Everything was a dull shade of gray or a weak shade of blue, and his polished Heavy Pulse Rifle sat on his dresser. An American flag was hung over the simple spring mattress, and the utter silence the blanketed the room put the hacker on high alert. She stepped over an easily visible tripwire that was likely put there to alert the old soldier of some kind of intruder, and quickly pocketed the DNA sample. She double-checked she hadn't set off any kind of silent alarm before slipping out the door.

Final destination: The main computer.

Downloading the few terabytes of data Overwatch had on their hard drives was going to take time, and her camouflage couldn't hold up for more than ten minutes at a time. So instead of trying to act like a fugitive, she decided to act as if she belonged in the Watchpoint while she plugged in one of her USBs encoded with her Shadow Protocol.

 **DOWNLOADING… 1%**

 **24MB/7.3TB**

 **Estimated time remaining: about 23 minutes**

Sombra settled into one of the chairs while she waited for the download to finish.

 _After this successfully copies to my USB, I just need to meet with Widow at the San Felipe Pier. That's about two miles from here. I'll send out the pickup signal now, so la Araña should meet me around the same time I arrive… I hope I get a raise from this._

The download was about halfway finished when a loud crash echoed from the entryway, followed by a string of German curses. The surprise that filled the hacker was soon replaced by a feeling of malicious glee as Dr. Ziegler shuffled into the room sleepily.

 _Time to make a new friend._

The doctor's hand was loosely wrapped around a coffee mug printed with cats, and it took nearly fifteen seconds for the medic to realize she wasn't the only person in the room.

"Genji, is that you? You know you should be in bed right now, it's late." The voice rasped from exhaustion.

A wicked grin spread across Sombra's face as she stood to face the doctor. "I can say the same for you, Doctor Ziegler. The scientist who advanced nanotechnology by centuries! The woman who learned how to bring people _back from the dead!_ What an honor it is, meeting such a world-renowned person in the flesh." Her voice dripped with insincerity.

Mercy dropped the mug, startled. "Who are you? What do you want from me?! Couldn't you have come in the morning, for goodness' sake?"

"Aww, morning's no fun. But you know what _is_ fun? Finding dozens of videos on what you did to find the cure for death." One of the mercenary's arms draped around the doctor's shoulder while the other summoned dozens of images of graphic torture. "The so-called 'Angel of Mercy' standing by as your little lab rats scream in agony. It would be saddening if these images appeared all over the world, wouldn't it?"

Doctor Ziegler's face gradually lost all color as the situation slowly sank in. Yes, she had found a way to resurrect recently deceased people, but the power had come at a cost. Death Row prisoners had been kidnapped and experimented on when the good doctor required human subjects. Their cries for help had pierced her soul over and over again, and after the ordeal was over, she had done her best to try and forget it.

But now that these images had resurfaced, the nightmares returned to her in a flash. However, that wasn't all.

"Oh, and Genji! The world's first cyborg! I wonder what happened to him during those procedures, physically and emotionally." Sombra's hand waved again, and the Holovids changed to a recording of multiple medical staff holding Genji Shimada down while Mercy soldered metal plates to scarred and raw skin. The wails that filled the room were unearthly.

"G-genji… Get this out of my face." The doctor's face had gone deathly white, and her eyes were misty. "What do you want from me? I know you didn't dig up my past just for 'fun'."

"Oh, from you? I want nothing _from_ you _._ All I ask is that when the time comes, you help me with a favor. That's all—that is, unless you want the world to know about these recordings. I wonder what would happen if they did." The hacker turned to face Mercy, holding out her hand. "Consider us friends. Do we have a deal, _¿amiga?_ "

The pale scientist hesitated before beginning to hold out her hand. Her face suddenly lit up with joy, looking at something behind Sombra. The Latina's face contorted with a mixture of dread and confusion.

"Athena, scramble and sever all frequencies being transmitted outside this room. Also, set the base to a red alert." The gruff voice held an air of authority. Sombra whipped around, only to stare into the glaring mask of Soldier: 76.

Panic bloomed inside the Talon agent's chest as she activated her translocator, only to have an alarm in her earpiece indicate the connection had been lost. Translocation was too dangerous to attempt, and doing so would kill her.

 _Looks like I'm going to have to get out of here the old-fashioned way._

Her clawed hand curled around her machine pistol, tore it out of its holster, and began to wildly spray bullets around the room. Mercy screamed and ducked for cover behind a desk as a bullet nicked her arm. Soldier: 76 simply activated his Tactical Visor, armed his Heavy Pulse Rifle, and fired—only to find he had nothing to fire at.

It was at that moment Ziegler decided to pop up from her shelter and cry, "Jack, she's invisible! Watch your back!"

 _Wow, thanks Doctor! It looks like some unfavorable information about you is going to surface if I can make it out of here._

Soldier: 76 whipped around to check the area behind him, which was just what the hacker was expecting. She pounced on him, pushing him to the ground. She lined up her weapon and fired a nonlethal shot into his right shoulder, and he let out a roar of pain. Mercy screamed and fled for her room, running for her Caduceus Staff.

"Oh, no! You're not getting away from me, _¡amiga!"_

Sombra leapt to her feet and continued the chase. If Ziegler could reach the bedrooms, the Talon agent would have the strongest Overwatch members hunting her. She would be captured, and her chances of rescue would be very slim.

The two sped down the hallway for a minute, Mercy crying for help the whole way. Sombra then raised her machine pistol, aimed—

-and fell to her knees in a heap of nausea and pain. She yanked a deep purple glass dart out of her now burning flesh, realizing with dead seriousness that she wasn't getting out of here anytime soon. The hacker then bent over and vomited.

Heavy footsteps made their way towards her as she was weakened. Each thud of their shoes increased the pace of Sombra's heart and heightened the panic that consumed her. She slowly turned to face her captor.

The cold, one-eyed stare of Overwatch's veteran sniper silently examined the hacker for threats. In a blur of motion, Ana's Biotic Rifle slammed against the Shadow's brow.

A flash of blinding pain overwhelmed the girl before everything went dark. The last thing she saw were the officials of Overwatch surrounding her.

 _There's no way I can get out of this. I guess I can kiss my freedom goodbye…_

 _Either I'm imprisoned for life, or I'm executed for my crimes. I can only hope Talon has a shred of liking for me and somehow tries to strike a bargain… Otherwise, I'm screwed._

* * *

 **Wow! I have a LOT of respect for the people who can write 10,000+ word chapters. Cheers to you!**

 **So, why have I been so inactive? I'm really sorry about this; I planned on updating every other week. However, I was hit by the Category 4 Hurricane Harvey, and I had to evacuate. Everything's fine now, no need to worry. I was just delayed for a while, so expect updates every other week or so.**

 **I have to say thanks to everyone who reviews, favorites, and follows! Every time I get a notification, it encourages me to keep going. A special thanks to Lianou for getting me back on track!**

 **I won't abandon this story! Not until I can get to where we started at Chapter One. I have things planned for the next three or four chapters, and an unnaturally long hiatus will have a solid reason behind it. Don't worry!**

 **If you have any questions or suggestions/ideas for the future of LSAOT, feel free to leave a comment or PM me. I should respond within a day or so!**

 **Aaaaanyways, this is where I sign off. Thanks for sticking with me for three chapters! ~Wynter ;)  
**


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